


roses without thorns

by monyaka



Series: Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts [8]
Category: Royal Blood (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28073514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monyaka/pseuds/monyaka
Summary: while drinking in andrew’s apartment, chloe notices that though his tattoo is of a rose, there are no thorns in sight.
Relationships: Chloe Taylor/Andrew Russell
Series: Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035726





	roses without thorns

**Author's Note:**

> not me reading so far into andrew’s route that it makes me sad! honestly though as soon as i played that one diamond scene where he talks about his tattoo it started to live in my head rent-free. it makes me so sad!!
> 
> also, please note that this work contains implied/referenced self harm. i included it in the tags but i wanted to mention it again just in case. stay safe!

it takes a lot for chloe to get drunk, but she’s always been able to handle a lot. so when andrew pulls out a second bottle of wine, she simply offers up her glass once more. it’s strange — andrew holds a perpetual look of mischief in his eye, a sinister sort of presence that you’re not  _ supposed _ to trust. but she does. she thinks about how kindly he always treats her, how respectful his touches are, how he makes her laugh... and she can’t imagine that he has any ill intentions.

maybe that’s why she’s allowed herself to get as tipsy as she does, why her eyes drift down to the vibrant colouring on andrew’s arm. “your tattoo doesn’t have any thorns.” 

it’s a simple observation, but it makes andrew chuckle. he seems tipsy too, with his flushed cheeks and the way he inches close enough for their knees to knock together. “wanna know why? it’s a sad story.”

“oh...” chloe frowns a little. the thought of andrew being sad makes her feel sad, too, but she does want the mysterious tattoo artist to open up to her. so she nods firmly, sets her glass to the side to grip andrew’s hand in both of hers. contrary to his frail appearance, his hands are big and sturdy. workman’s hands.

“my tattoo... it symbolizes emotional pain.” he’s speaking carefully, nervously, and it just makes her concentrate harder. “they say that flowers can bloom from your skin when cuts heal. the blood takes the shape of a rose, and the thorns... take root in your skin. the thorns are what cut you... you know, um. i can’t explain it. i just wanted to remind myself never to let my arm collect another scar. there won’t be any more thorns on...” he trails off, shy after seeing chloe’s expression. “just kidding!”

“did it hurt?” her long fingers trail up andrew’s forearm, and she can feel under the pads of her fingertips that he’s not lying. there are raised marks lingering like ghosts under the tattoo. “to get a tattoo over your scars like that?”

“mhm,” he whispers. his dark eyes scan chloe’s; the two of them are so close that she could simply lean in and close the gap between them. “but i just wanted to turn my pain into something beautiful.”

chloe nods, flashes the man a gentle smile. “that’s what art is, don’t you think? taking your pain and using it to fuel your art.”

“some people use their blood to paint, you know.” chloe yelps, smacks andrew’s shoulder out of reflex. and he ends up laughing. “ow! they do, i’m serious!”

she was going to kiss him. she’d really been considering it. but instead, they end up drunkenly talking about weird things to paint with, end up messing around on canvases with hairbrushes and paint and their fingertips. and together, andrew and chloe crudely paint a rose without thorns. the kind of rose that won’t bring them pain. a rose that symbolizes only the sweetness of this moment and their love for each other.

after all, not all beauty has to come from pain.


End file.
